[Leica] Re:what is most important?

[Mike Johnston <michaeljohnston@ameritech.net>]

>>>>
Interesting thread, but to create a photo for me it
would be (and this assumes I have my health, etc.)

1. The vision/ability to create a photograph
2. The camera/lens/film combination
3. other equipment such as a tripod.
<<<<



To me it is:
    1. caring about a theme or a subject
    2. learning and getting to know what I'm looking at, and working to
show what I'm seeing in two dimensions, monochrome, and within a
rectangular border
    3. shifting my lazy a** and getting out in the cold and down to the
street and getting the shooting done.

BTW, since I've been accused lately of various emotions I've not
actually been experiencing <g>, I should add that I don't feel the
SLIGHTEST disapproval towards anyone whose interest is entirely or
mostly technique or equipment, including equipment connoisseurs to whom
photography is decidedly secondary. I truly and sincerely believe that
each individual's practice of this hobby should be directed exactly as
he or she sees fit. It's legal and harmless, and we're only here on
earth for a short time...we should each follow our interests or
predilictions wherever they might lead and EXACTLY as we wish when it
comes to this hobby or art. If a person, say, gets the most pleasure out
of the delectation of the finishes of various black-paint Leicas, then
admiring cameras as _objet d'arts_ is what he ought to do. I honestly
believe that.

I have to say my own best pleasure in photography is workprinting,
seeing bunches of recent negs as prints for the first time. My record
was 175 8x10 workprints (all from different negs) in a day; normal
session for me now is only 10-20, but it's still fun. Fine or final
printing takes up more time but isn't nearly as much fun.

Second best pleasure is tacking a bunch of fresh workprints up on the
work board and seeing them "settle out" over a three- or four-day period
of time. That is, when I first tack them all up, they all seem about
equally good to me; after three days of staring at  them, I'll really
like one or two, a few others will seem acceptable, and most will hold
absolutely zero interest. This is not entirely a conscious process, but
I never fail to enjoy it.

- --Mike